Tens Of Thousands Of Victims, Indonesia Sends Assistance Worth IDR 30 Billion To Palestine And Sudan

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) released humanitarian assistance for Palestine and Sudan at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, Wednesday.

President Jokowi in his statement at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base conveyed the release of aid as a form of the Indonesian Government's commitment to maintaining world peace.

"The government is committed to maintaining world peace and is actively involved in humanitarian missions both due to war and disaster," said President Jokowi as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, March 3.

President Jokowi said that the Indonesian people were concerned about the humanitarian events that occurred in Gaza, Palestine, and the internal conflicts that occurred in Sudan that caused many casualties.

Therefore, for the umpteenth time, Indonesia has returned to send humanitarian aid to Egypt and Sudan.

"The assistance sent today is worth Rp. 30 billion, in the form of medicines and medical equipment as well as other assistance that is tailored to needs in the field according to the official requests of the governments of Egypt and Sudan," said President Jokowi.

The President said the delegation of aid deliveries was led by the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, Lt. Gen. Suharyanto.

"Hopefully the aid can help relieve our brothers who are experiencing the disaster in Gaza and Sudan," hoped President Jokowi.

Also attending to accompany President Jokowi in the release of the assistance were Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) Retno Marsudi, Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Mulyani, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono, and Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Also present were representatives of Commission VIII DPR RI, Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lt. Gen. Suharyanto, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, and National Police Chief General Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

The Indonesian government through BNPB estimates that the delivery of all humanitarian social assistance to civilians who are victims of the Palestinian and Sudanese conflicts will arrive in Cairo, Egypt, and Port of Sudan, Thursday (4/4).

The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) received diplomatic notes from Egypt and Sudan regarding requests for humanitarian assistance to the people there who are facing conflict and disease outbreaks.

In the memorandum, the Egyptian government expects assistance from the Indonesian government for the handling of Palestinian refugees who enter the Egyptian region, around the Egyptian Rafah (North Sinai Professor), due to an Israeli invasion of Gaza, Palestine.

As of March 2024, there were 32,333 victims of the Israeli invasion in the Gaza region who died (12,900 children and 8,400 women), 74,694 people were injured, and 8,100 people were missing. After Israel's land invasion to the North and Central Gaza regions, Gaza residents fled to the southern Gaza region - Rafah, which is the last safe territory for them.

Currently in Rafah City, Egypt, it accommodates more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees. For this reason, the Egyptian government sent a list of requests for assistance in the form of several types of goods that are needed in evacuation.